Shall We
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Kiss away the Pain
The Same Dance
Monday, August 12, 2013
Monday, 12 August 2013
seduce
reduce
and then deduce
The last of work
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
I've finished the last of my holiday work.. officially. No more summer holidays for me to do an internship/part time job (how some can last the summer slacking without working, I will never understand). From here on out its one more semester of school, adieu, and then hello work for the rest of my fucking life. There's bits I look forward to, but for the most part of it, I'm a little scared of all the unknown.
When I first took up this personal assistant job, I did it for the money and because it gave me flexibility in working hours. It was interesting, I have to admit, doing the little nitty gritties in someone's life you barely knew. It was also challenging to have to think about how to best make life easier for someone else. Somehow you had to move out and become someone else's shadow. Being a simple holiday job, I wasn't expecting.. anything to come out of it, really.
Yet, I was wrong. Towards the end of the job my boss' partner spoke to me and invited me to join their company. In my conversation with him I shared about my aspirations, my fear of being an ordinary office rat, and also about the kind of person I wanted to be in ten years. I heard about how he has been silently observing me during our company event and how he felt my strengths were very much aligned to what he was looking for in a new hire. Specifically, he spoke about the fact that he was impressed that I asked my boss for a pay rise, and even more so that he agreed because "he is not an easy person to persuade".
He did not know then, how nervous I was when I asked for the pay! Over a lunch with my asm colleagues at mbs I asked and got some advice from them how to approach the topic, but truthfully my guts twisted and turned when I sat at the office desk across my boss. I mean, I honestly had nothing to lose even if he didn't agree, but oh, the nerves!! When he agreed and gave me more than what I asked, I was delighted. It was my first little success flag in the corporate world.
Few days later, my boss and I headed for some nice lunch at dolce vita for my farewell. Over lunch, we avoided work topics and kept most of the conversation light. At times where it deviated to work and career, I asked for advice he gave it generously. He also thanked me for the hard work I put in, that he ran out of assignments for the my successor cause I finished most of this tasks. He told me that he was just discussing with his wife the night before, about how bosses give employees who can do work a lot more free rein. I nodded in fierce agreement.
Many a time I came into work late, each work later than the previous.. It slid from 9am to 9.30 to 10 to 10.30.. my morning-awareness is horrific and I can never sustain early mornings for long. My boss never scolded or complained, or even much so asked me why I was late. When I had assignments to finish, I simply stayed longer to get it done. In my eyes, he and I were very similar. We're result oriented, and only care that work is delivered the way we want it to.
He said, that my greatest strength is the ability to be detail-oriented. My question then was, how do I persuade my employer in the interview room of it? Resume-talk is cheap, and detail orientation only shows when they see my work, or the way I work. The thing I fear is, I will be turned away all too quickly for me to show well, any of my strengths.
At the end of the conversation, I went home and spent many a long night thinking about what it is that I truly want for myself in my career. I know where I want to be, but I was, and still am, clueless if I have what it takes to get there. However, I am now a little clearer, and also a little more confident.
Argument
Saturday, July 06, 2013
It was almost 10pm. My hands were full, carrying my purse, my shopping bags, dinner, and the fatigue from work. I wanted in and out quick, and needed to deposit money. I entered POSB, and headed for the cash deposit machines. There was a single file line for two functioning machines. Taking my place in the queue, I plugged in into Castle. Minutes passed, and I was next in line.
It was then that out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man in his 40s come stand beside me. I turned to look, catching his eye, and was slightly bewildered as to why he was obviously cutting the queue when there was about.. five others behind me? I looked at the other people in the queue behind me, expecting some sort of reaction from them. They just gave me this blank look. Now, at this point, I'd normally just brush it off. Definitely feel annoyed, but not enough to push me over the edge to stage a confrontation. Didn't really affect me anyway since I was next in line.
However, that night, something pushed me over the edge. Technically, there was nothing wrong with his actions, because there should have been two separate queues since there were two machines. But I was angry at how he just presumptuously cut the queue and took advantage of everyone's.. courtesy? So I tapped him, and said "Mr, you're cutting the queue." Next thing I knew, this man flew off the handle and replied, very loudly, about the fact that there's "TWO MACHINES WHAT AND NO ONE IS QUEUING HERE". He practically shouted, and made damn sure everyone in that room heard. Getting really riled, I reasoned with him, to which he exclaimed "Aiyahhhh, I know its cause you scared I cut your queue, just say lah, I LET YOU GO FIRST"
Yep, this fucker made it about me. Now it's personal. That was obviously not my agenda, so I said "Its my turn next, why do I need to be scared? It's just that its unfair to everyone else!" To which he just repeatedly made sarcastic remarks like "Ya ya, just say la" What a douche?! By then, one of the ladies at the machine had left, so I said "Fine, I don't want to argue with you." because it was really pointless. He never saw himself as being in the wrong and was using volume to put him in a higher position.
I moved ahead to the deposit machine, the old man remained at the back and kept making comments about "Right, right a not? Two lines what, walau eh" Holy shit, he was never going to stop. But despite that, he kept letting other people in the queue go first, so maybe he did feel a little guilty.
Obviously I would never have reasoned successfully with such a self-entitled person, but there's always the passive aggressive route. He was next in line if I left my machine, so I took the liberty to also return his lack of consideration and separate my $300 deposits into 6 separate deposits of $50, just to kill time. Before I left, I also threw him a scathing glare.
I did not immortalize this story to say that I had the last say in this argument. Its just, that night, I felt something in me change. It was slight, minor, a tiny bud of change. I don't know what it is else, but in due course, I will find out.
TW '13
Sunday, June 23, 2013
I tried reconstructing a timeline but failed, we went to a different place each of the 8 days and so many attractions within each location. Chronological order's messed up, but at least its smthg to remember the trip by!
Ruifeng night market in Gao xiong. Didn't love the night market itself, it was like a food market mixed with some accessories and clothes and a funfair type thing but I did love the shops on the streets that were around it!
On one of the days, we got to go to chun shui tang, the most famous bubble tea franchise there to make our own bubble tea. We tried making the red and milk tea. The red tea was fantastic! Their custom blend was super fragrant. KOI there is apparently not well known there. I had a field time trying to ask the locals there where the shop was when I later found out that its called a completely different thing in taiwan (by their parent company, if I remember right). Eh.. doesn't matter. Chun shui tang's the big thing there. The place where we had the bubble tea workshop was this massive multi-level restaurant they had, and at 10+ in the morning it was already bustling with people sipping tea!
A shot in the restaurant on the morning of the 8th where Francis and Junlong surprised me with a birthday cake.. and song. It was so uunexpected! Had no idea they knew anything about my birthday.
Taken on the first night in ximending. Was holding a cup of the famous bittergourd juice with aloe vera bits in it, and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't actually taste bad.
3 pictures above are from one of my favourite restaurants on the trip! Its a chinese style buffet which allows you to order items ala carte from a rather extensive menu. I'm normally against buffet line restaurants but ala carte's pretty ok. Besides, their portions were very managable and above all, it was delicious! All our meals were paid for in advance but it only costs like $16 sgd there for a lunch buffet? Completely affordable. I will come back!
On the bullet train from.. I can't remember hahaha. Very spacious and comfortable. The view was gorgeous too. All greenery or ocean.
Cakes from a shop in gao xiong. So pretty all of these and thery're all $2+? T.T All the stuff there is so cheap!!! I bought 2 to eat in our hotel for supper teehee.
Bing tang hu lus in one of the national hertiage centers. Bought the tomato stick cause I've ever tried anything like it but it sucks! Too sweet and ten seconds into eating it starts dripping everywhere, some of it got on my dress. Hot mess.
The very famous guan cia ban in shilin. SO DELICIOUS!! Should have bought more. Didn't like the whole underground concept though, its so stuffy and weird that a night market is underground?
Really cute doggie we met when we were at tai ru ge in hualien (otherwise known as taroko national park, the place everyone goes to in tw) most of the roads there were closed off due to the major landslide they had there a week before our trip. So lucky cause we were actually sposed to go to taiwan earlier and wld hve met with the earthquake!
The beautiful sand and waters in hualien. Perfect for a short getaway from the city!
When we were at the airport, ready to go home. That's francis with us! Loved him, he was entertaining and knew so much about taiwan!
In front of the yuan shan da fan dian in taipei. Apparently its been mistaken multiple times for a huge temple but it actually is a historical site and hotel famous for hosting foreign delegates and big shots. Also yes, my mom must have missed the memo about wearing stripes. Hahahahaha. I was also wearing the $4 dress I got from wufenpu that my mom went around telling everyone what I good deal I got. -_-
In jiufen! The streets there are so old school!
At the temple in sun moon lake. I really loved the sun moon lake, everything there is so pretty and scenic!
View atop the jiufen area.
Caught eating. We ate so much on the trip, it was horrible! I was trying to watch that I ate but everything was so good. And so cheap. Bleah.
Writing and releasing the sky laterns in shifen!
View form our lea lea hotel in sun moon lake.. Loved this hotel the best!
This was by far the most architecturally intriguing restaurant I've seen. It was so unique! The interior looked like a cave..? But had very quirky seating and tables. And fact that this restaurant was located in the city, juxtaposed against the rest of the landscape.. very special. The building actually is two ladies with long wavy hair, with their faces turned upside down and their hands stretched into their hair. So in a way, the restaurant was actually in her skirt. The themes of feminism was strong and was actually ironic considering how the owner was a grieving widow who kept white fishes in all her restaurants as remembrance for her husband who passed.
Enjoying the cheap room service.... you honestly can never go hungry here.
Street artist dressed as a bing ma yong in the temple in sun moon. We all thought he was a legit statue at first! Struck a pose with me and for me after I dropped some cash in his money box. So cute. And so real, too!
Aboard a cruise touring sun moon lake! The wind was so strong but francis insisted on helping me take a photo hahaha
On the train. On the first day, Francis actually thought we were attached (both of us were repulsed at the idea, rectified him immediately) and jibbed at us even more when we turned up wearing matching striped outfits hahaha. We had to chase away a whole fucking bunch of prcs who were in our seats. I hate them!
Wu fen pu, and 50% of the reason why I was so excited about going to taiwan in the first place! I'm still miffed cause I didn't get to fully shop, I only managed to squeeze in time to go there twice, and it was after 11pm so most of the shops were already closed. I still got a lot of good buys though! Very happy teehee. They have those racks that go for like 100-150/200? Damn cheap! So so so much better than bkk/chatuchak/platinum. Those plcs are overrated, expensive and choke full of tourists!
Abrupt end of post, but I really enjoyed taiwan!! I can't wait to go back soon!
